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The Halo Effect
In this tour de force, a father, shaken by tragedy, tries to avenge his daughter’s murder—and restore his family’s shattered life.
It was supposed to be a typical October evening for renowned portrait artist Will Light. Over dinner of lamb tagine, his wife, Sophie, would share news about chorus rehearsals for the upcoming holiday concert, and their teenage daughter, Lucy, would chatter about French club and field hockey. Only Lucy never came home. Her body was found, days later, in the woods.
The Eastern Seaboard town of Port Fortune used to be Will’s comfort. Now, there’s no safe harbor for him. Not even when Father Gervase asks Will to paint portraits of saints for the new cathedral. Using the townspeople as models, Will sees in each face only a mask of the darkness of evil. And he just might be painting his daughter’s killer.
As Will navigates his rage and heartbreak, Sophie tries to move on; Father Gervase becomes an unexpected ally; and Rain, Lucy’s best friend, shrouds herself in a near-silent fugue. Their paths collide in a series of inextricably linked, dark, dangerous moments that could lead to their undoing…or to their redemption.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2017
3048 people are currently reading
4016 people want to read
About the author
Anne D. LeClaire
30 books98 followersI grew up on a farm in a small town in Western Massachusetts, the middle of three daughters of a school teacher mother and an electrician father. I was the family "story-teller," not always meant in the good way. In fact, I love that while I was once punished for making up stories, I now get paid for it.
Okay, so I was a small town girl. But my ambitions were as fanciful as they were impractical. My early career choices were fueled by dreams nurtured in our town library where books fired my imagination. At various times I dreamt of being an FBI agent, a girl detective, a pilot, a spy and a cow girl.
I'm a graduate of the MacDuffie School in Springfield, Massachusetts and an alumna of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Massachusetts and Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
I met my future husband, Hillary, while on summer break from college. It's a classic summer story. Co-ed goes to Cape Cod for a summer job, meets and falls in love with a native and ends up living on the Cape. We now live in the seaside village of South Chatham and have two children, Hope D’Avril and Christopher, and sixteen chickens.
While raising a family, I was no closer to being the F.B.I. agent or cowgirl but did work as a radio broadcaster, an actress, a journalist and a correspondent for The Boston Globe. My work appeared in The New York Times, Redbook, and Yankee magazine, among others.
It wasn't until 1983 that, pursuing a long-held dream and encouraged by the fiction editor of Yankee, I quit my journalism jobs and began a novel, Land’s End, which was published by Bantam Books in 1985. I have since written eight other novels, including the critically acclaimed Entering Normal, The Lavender Hour, and Leaving Eden. My work has been published in many countries including Great Britain, Italy, Greece, France, Japan, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Netherlands, Brazil and Israel.
My first book-length non-fiction, Listening Below the Noise, is a meditation on the practice of silence. In addition to novels and the memoir, I write short stories and essays. I also teach and lecture here and abroad on the creative process, as well as on the practice of silence. I have taught creative writing on Cape Cod, in France, Ireland and Jamaica, at the Maui Writers Conference, and to women in prison.
My essays have been included in a number of anthologies, among them I’ve Always Meant to Tell You, Letters to Our Mothers: An Anthology of Contemporary Women Writers; From Daughters and Sons to Fathers: What I’ve Never Said; and A Sense of Place: An Anthology of Cape Women Writers.
My interests are gardening, yoga, theater, travel and aviation (I am a private pilot). I'm also interested in genealogy and am a cousin of the poet Emily Dickinson.
Okay, so I was a small town girl. But my ambitions were as fanciful as they were impractical. My early career choices were fueled by dreams nurtured in our town library where books fired my imagination. At various times I dreamt of being an FBI agent, a girl detective, a pilot, a spy and a cow girl.
I'm a graduate of the MacDuffie School in Springfield, Massachusetts and an alumna of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Massachusetts and Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
I met my future husband, Hillary, while on summer break from college. It's a classic summer story. Co-ed goes to Cape Cod for a summer job, meets and falls in love with a native and ends up living on the Cape. We now live in the seaside village of South Chatham and have two children, Hope D’Avril and Christopher, and sixteen chickens.
While raising a family, I was no closer to being the F.B.I. agent or cowgirl but did work as a radio broadcaster, an actress, a journalist and a correspondent for The Boston Globe. My work appeared in The New York Times, Redbook, and Yankee magazine, among others.
It wasn't until 1983 that, pursuing a long-held dream and encouraged by the fiction editor of Yankee, I quit my journalism jobs and began a novel, Land’s End, which was published by Bantam Books in 1985. I have since written eight other novels, including the critically acclaimed Entering Normal, The Lavender Hour, and Leaving Eden. My work has been published in many countries including Great Britain, Italy, Greece, France, Japan, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Netherlands, Brazil and Israel.
My first book-length non-fiction, Listening Below the Noise, is a meditation on the practice of silence. In addition to novels and the memoir, I write short stories and essays. I also teach and lecture here and abroad on the creative process, as well as on the practice of silence. I have taught creative writing on Cape Cod, in France, Ireland and Jamaica, at the Maui Writers Conference, and to women in prison.
My essays have been included in a number of anthologies, among them I’ve Always Meant to Tell You, Letters to Our Mothers: An Anthology of Contemporary Women Writers; From Daughters and Sons to Fathers: What I’ve Never Said; and A Sense of Place: An Anthology of Cape Women Writers.
My interests are gardening, yoga, theater, travel and aviation (I am a private pilot). I'm also interested in genealogy and am a cousin of the poet Emily Dickinson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 439 reviews
June 12, 2017
Will Light is a renowned artist whose daughter was found murdered months ago and he struggles to deal with his rage and reconcile his relationship with his wife Sophie. When he is offered a chance to paint the saints for a new cathedral by the priest at Sophie's church and ends up tangled in a series of events that lead him to a moment of choice about what kind of person he will be. I didn't realize I would enjoy this book so much, the writing was very good. It's a little bit on the stream of consciousness side so it may feel a little dense to some or the details may seem extraneous but I really liked how it got you into the point of view of the character. I really felt for Will and Rain and I think the narrative was well done and poignant and so realistic. I also enjoyed the overarching theme of sainthood and what makes someone a good person and how redeemable a person really is and I loved the way that Will develops and changes through part one which culminates in him the timing was so good and it just happened so naturally. Same thing with Rain and . The only thing that felt a little off was the ending because it just made everything in the end feel a little rushed and strange. I just think if it had been made clearer I would have been satisfied. Also it kind of annoys me when authors don't stick to either first person or third person. I think if the ending was just slower and didn't feel so rushed I would have rated it five stars. The rest of the book was very strong though.
April 1, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one but I assumed that it would be a standard mystery, especially as it focuses on the death of a teenaged girl named Lucy. We’ve all read plenty of books about a young woman being murdered, but this book was different than most, very special. It wasn’t a fast paced thriller, though you don’t find out who killed Lucy until the end, but rather a dark mystery that read like literary fiction.
This is told from from three perspectives; Will, Lucy’s grieving father, Father Gervase and Rain, Lucy’s best friend. Will’s portions are told in the first person and Father Gervase and Rain’s are in the third, and while I think this would normally irritate me, here if added an intimate quality to Will’s sections. The bulk of the story is told starting seven months after Lucy’s death and he is deep in the throes of grief. He is enraged and can only focus on justice. He vows that once her killer is apprehended he will kill him, plain and simple. Before she died he was a mild mannered artist so to say this is a huge change of character for him is putting it lightly. His wife, Sophie has taken a different approach in coping with her grief and is determined to make a difference. She’s involved in spreading awareness about the senseless murders of children and has found a fairly healthy outlet for her pain and grief. They have lost each other in the process, and it’s really easy to understand how this could happen, it was utterly heartbreaking.
There’s an elegance and a poetic quality to LeClaire’s writing style, it was hypnotic at times. Instead of focusing primarily on the mystery of who killed Lucy, it is a look into the way people handle grief. Will is so bitter and angry, Sophia channels her pain into something positive, Rain shuts down almost completely and begins to self harm, and Father Gervase deals with the ramifications on his congregation. This was an intensive look at a town reeling from a deep loss but it had such a luminous feel to it as well, it was really exquisite.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one but I assumed that it would be a standard mystery, especially as it focuses on the death of a teenaged girl named Lucy. We’ve all read plenty of books about a young woman being murdered, but this book was different than most, very special. It wasn’t a fast paced thriller, though you don’t find out who killed Lucy until the end, but rather a dark mystery that read like literary fiction.
This is told from from three perspectives; Will, Lucy’s grieving father, Father Gervase and Rain, Lucy’s best friend. Will’s portions are told in the first person and Father Gervase and Rain’s are in the third, and while I think this would normally irritate me, here if added an intimate quality to Will’s sections. The bulk of the story is told starting seven months after Lucy’s death and he is deep in the throes of grief. He is enraged and can only focus on justice. He vows that once her killer is apprehended he will kill him, plain and simple. Before she died he was a mild mannered artist so to say this is a huge change of character for him is putting it lightly. His wife, Sophie has taken a different approach in coping with her grief and is determined to make a difference. She’s involved in spreading awareness about the senseless murders of children and has found a fairly healthy outlet for her pain and grief. They have lost each other in the process, and it’s really easy to understand how this could happen, it was utterly heartbreaking.
There’s an elegance and a poetic quality to LeClaire’s writing style, it was hypnotic at times. Instead of focusing primarily on the mystery of who killed Lucy, it is a look into the way people handle grief. Will is so bitter and angry, Sophia channels her pain into something positive, Rain shuts down almost completely and begins to self harm, and Father Gervase deals with the ramifications on his congregation. This was an intensive look at a town reeling from a deep loss but it had such a luminous feel to it as well, it was really exquisite.
March 19, 2017
Nearly made it halfway through, before deciding it simply wasn't worth the effort.
Told in the first person, the protagonist is:
(a) An asshole
(b) Not terribly interesting
(c) Prone to go on long-winded internal narratives about how nobody can understand what he's going through.
I don't mind interesting assholes.
I don't mind uninteresting, but good people, where you see events unfold through their eyes.
Not bad bad. But not good enough to waste my reading time on it. On to other things!
Told in the first person, the protagonist is:
(a) An asshole
(b) Not terribly interesting
(c) Prone to go on long-winded internal narratives about how nobody can understand what he's going through.
I don't mind interesting assholes.
I don't mind uninteresting, but good people, where you see events unfold through their eyes.
Not bad bad. But not good enough to waste my reading time on it. On to other things!
December 9, 2020
اثر هالهای درست روبروی اثر شاخی ست!
March 23, 2017
This was my Kindle First book for March. It is extremely well written and very descriptive. It would appeal to people who like to read classics. The characters are well written and develop well through the story. The book discusses the issues surrounding the death of achild. Unfortunately I found it a bit slow going and lacked the adrenaline pumping suspense I love in thrillers.
April 6, 2017
Saints and sinners
I enjoyed this book, firing through it in a couple of days. Would have between sooner but I needed to sleep and to work. An interesting and realistic look at grief and family dynamics in the face of trauma. Interesting twist on saints. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed this book, firing through it in a couple of days. Would have between sooner but I needed to sleep and to work. An interesting and realistic look at grief and family dynamics in the face of trauma. Interesting twist on saints. Highly recommended.
March 3, 2017
Surprisingly good
I received this book as a Prime first of the month book and didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be quite an interesting study of the effect of a child's tragic death on her parents . Part thriller, the book holds your interest to the very end.
I received this book as a Prime first of the month book and didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be quite an interesting study of the effect of a child's tragic death on her parents . Part thriller, the book holds your interest to the very end.
May 2, 2017
Themes: Grief, art, secrets, religion
Setting: Modern small town Massachusetts
Will Light’s daughter disappeared after school. Days later, her body turned up in the woods. She’d been murdered. The police investigated, but nothing turned up and the case went cold.
Now Will is overwhelmed with grief and the loss of his precious daughter. His wife Sophie has moved out, tired of dealing with his drinking and his anger. She’s channeling her sorrow into advocacy for children in general, becoming a voice for murdered children. But Will is too angry and bitter to move on.
The local church wants Will to paint a piece for the new building, but Will has no interest in the saints. What good are they when Lucy is dead? (Except that you know he changes his mind because it’s in the book description.) Instead he buys a gun and goes prowling every night, looking for his daughter’s killer in the faces he sees.
I liked this book. I’ve dealt with grief myself, and I know something about the anger and the self-destructive behavior it can provoke. So I was able to sympathize with Will and his wife. I really wanted him to find some peace with his situation, but that’s not something you can rush.
The story also follows Lucy’s best friend Rain and the local priest Father Gervase, both of whom are dealing with their own private sorrows. I really liked Rain, who reminded me of my own kids when they were teenagers.
The author does a good job with this one, but I felt like the conclusion was just sort of tacked on at the end. There was no warning that they were close to catching the killer, it just sort of happened. That kind of bugged me. But I still liked it well enough to recommend it. Just be aware that it’s a sad book. If I judged this one as a mystery, I’d rate it pretty low, but as a study of loss and its effects, I’d give it 4 stars out of 5.
Setting: Modern small town Massachusetts
Will Light’s daughter disappeared after school. Days later, her body turned up in the woods. She’d been murdered. The police investigated, but nothing turned up and the case went cold.
Now Will is overwhelmed with grief and the loss of his precious daughter. His wife Sophie has moved out, tired of dealing with his drinking and his anger. She’s channeling her sorrow into advocacy for children in general, becoming a voice for murdered children. But Will is too angry and bitter to move on.
The local church wants Will to paint a piece for the new building, but Will has no interest in the saints. What good are they when Lucy is dead? (Except that you know he changes his mind because it’s in the book description.) Instead he buys a gun and goes prowling every night, looking for his daughter’s killer in the faces he sees.
I liked this book. I’ve dealt with grief myself, and I know something about the anger and the self-destructive behavior it can provoke. So I was able to sympathize with Will and his wife. I really wanted him to find some peace with his situation, but that’s not something you can rush.
The story also follows Lucy’s best friend Rain and the local priest Father Gervase, both of whom are dealing with their own private sorrows. I really liked Rain, who reminded me of my own kids when they were teenagers.
The author does a good job with this one, but I felt like the conclusion was just sort of tacked on at the end. There was no warning that they were close to catching the killer, it just sort of happened. That kind of bugged me. But I still liked it well enough to recommend it. Just be aware that it’s a sad book. If I judged this one as a mystery, I’d rate it pretty low, but as a study of loss and its effects, I’d give it 4 stars out of 5.
October 3, 2017
Tough to start
Started this book then put it away for later many times. It felt too dark. So glad I didn't send it back. Truly a great novel with incredible insight & great sense of movement thrust an interesting plot. This one will stay with me a long time! On my way to read more of her novels!
Started this book then put it away for later many times. It felt too dark. So glad I didn't send it back. Truly a great novel with incredible insight & great sense of movement thrust an interesting plot. This one will stay with me a long time! On my way to read more of her novels!
July 19, 2017
A believable reaction to a tragic loss. Grief, anger, rage and finally healing from an unusual source. Not a fast read, but one that is totally engrossing and to a person who also lost a child - honestly written. Thank you, Anne LeClaire.
July 16, 2020
Great story
I totally enjoyed this book. The story was engaging and didn’t move too slowly. The characters were interesting and the ending was not what I expected. Definitely would recommend this as a summer read.
I totally enjoyed this book. The story was engaging and didn’t move too slowly. The characters were interesting and the ending was not what I expected. Definitely would recommend this as a summer read.
May 2, 2024
Beautifully written, touching story of the life behind grief and despair.
March 31, 2017
15 year old Lucy doesn't return from school one day. Her body is found two weeks later. Will, her father, is at risk of losing his wife because he can't get past the anger of the unsolved murder of his daughter. Other characters enter the story and are beautifully woven together with each other to an amazing climax.
October 23, 2019
I did enjoy escaping into a novel for a change....it is good to do that....and overall I did enjoy the book and the plot. Saying that I found it a bit slow and lacking action which is what I really look for in a novel personally. The characters were good though and I got to know each one as I read through the book. The twist at the end that revealed the murderer was unexpected and added to my enjoyment.
June 4, 2017
It was supposed to be a typical October evening for renowned portrait artist Will Light. Over dinner of lamb tagine, his wife, Sophie, would share news about chorus rehearsals for the upcoming holiday concert, and their teenage daughter, Lucy, would chatter about French club and field hockey. Only Lucy never came home. Her body was found, days later, in the woods.
The Eastern Seaboard town of Port Fortune used to be Will’s comfort. Now, there’s no safe harbor for him. Not even when Father Gervase asks Will to paint portraits of saints for the new cathedral. Using the townspeople as models, Will sees in each face only a mask of the darkness of evil. And he just might be painting his daughter’s killer.
As Will navigates his rage and heartbreak, Sophie tries to move on; Father Gervase becomes an unexpected ally; and Rain, Lucy’s best friend, shrouds herself in a near-silent fugue. Their paths collide in a series of inextricably linked, dark, dangerous moments that could lead to their undoing…or to their redemption.
an interesting read...I did feel that the ending was very rushed after going through all that she did with the story. Am not sure i think its AS wonderful as other reviewers but a decent read
The Eastern Seaboard town of Port Fortune used to be Will’s comfort. Now, there’s no safe harbor for him. Not even when Father Gervase asks Will to paint portraits of saints for the new cathedral. Using the townspeople as models, Will sees in each face only a mask of the darkness of evil. And he just might be painting his daughter’s killer.
As Will navigates his rage and heartbreak, Sophie tries to move on; Father Gervase becomes an unexpected ally; and Rain, Lucy’s best friend, shrouds herself in a near-silent fugue. Their paths collide in a series of inextricably linked, dark, dangerous moments that could lead to their undoing…or to their redemption.
an interesting read...I did feel that the ending was very rushed after going through all that she did with the story. Am not sure i think its AS wonderful as other reviewers but a decent read
August 22, 2017
Lovely!
So well written, heart achingly real, a sad story but one of hope, human beings, and how we tick in this sad & broken world. The only character (other than the bad guys) I didn't like was the psychologist ... I so wanted to like her, but with all my dealings with good & bad ones, she was tacky and cliched... such a pity as I felt she had potential and a kitchen just like I build!
So well written, heart achingly real, a sad story but one of hope, human beings, and how we tick in this sad & broken world. The only character (other than the bad guys) I didn't like was the psychologist ... I so wanted to like her, but with all my dealings with good & bad ones, she was tacky and cliched... such a pity as I felt she had potential and a kitchen just like I build!
April 6, 2017
The Halo Effect is a book to read with time to let the emotions and the human condition of the characters sink into your thoughts. It is not a fast -paced thriller, but rather a book with the mystery of who murdered a child...and how the tumbling blocks fall altering the lives of not only the parents but the community.
Although the father is commissioned to paint religious portraits, he is resentful and hesitant. This story is not preachy and a doctrine of religion...but it shows how this broken couple cope with the grief and loss of their only child. They have to fall low to be able to rise again to accept and then go on forward with their lives.
The story of this book has many levels! The people in the community have questions which are not always easily answered.
The healing among many in this story comes from finding answers to personal problems which must begin within themselves. A sad, but Wonderful Book!
Although the father is commissioned to paint religious portraits, he is resentful and hesitant. This story is not preachy and a doctrine of religion...but it shows how this broken couple cope with the grief and loss of their only child. They have to fall low to be able to rise again to accept and then go on forward with their lives.
The story of this book has many levels! The people in the community have questions which are not always easily answered.
The healing among many in this story comes from finding answers to personal problems which must begin within themselves. A sad, but Wonderful Book!
June 2, 2017
Great book
At first, I didn't think I liked it, and at one point I was sure I knew who did it, but....not only was I wrong about the killer, I ended up loving the story. It made me think about what I would do if I were Will.
At first, I didn't think I liked it, and at one point I was sure I knew who did it, but....not only was I wrong about the killer, I ended up loving the story. It made me think about what I would do if I were Will.
March 31, 2017
Great read!
You'll want to make sure you have the time to read this book from cover to cover in one sitting! I am an avid reader, and can usually pace myself through a book, but this one I could not put down. I can't honestly remember the last time I was so fully engrossed by a book as I was this one. The premise of this book is very different from what I normally choose to read, but the subject and characters are so beautifully written, I was compelled to read this from start to finish. There are twists and turns to the plot that keep you guessing until the end. The difference in how each main character handles the circumstances they find themselves in are wonderfully thought out and carried through in a true fashion for each one. This is the first book I have read by Anne D. LeClaire, but it most certainly won't be the last. Brilliantly written!!
You'll want to make sure you have the time to read this book from cover to cover in one sitting! I am an avid reader, and can usually pace myself through a book, but this one I could not put down. I can't honestly remember the last time I was so fully engrossed by a book as I was this one. The premise of this book is very different from what I normally choose to read, but the subject and characters are so beautifully written, I was compelled to read this from start to finish. There are twists and turns to the plot that keep you guessing until the end. The difference in how each main character handles the circumstances they find themselves in are wonderfully thought out and carried through in a true fashion for each one. This is the first book I have read by Anne D. LeClaire, but it most certainly won't be the last. Brilliantly written!!
March 19, 2017
Not only was this a wonderful story of grief, anger and healing, but the writing style really pulled me in. It was like reading a memoir that revealed every deep crevice of a heart shattered by loss, and the struggle to fight his way back.
March 13, 2017
Powerful
Thinking initially that this was a murder mystery, I was surprised. Having lost a child of my own, the frank emotion, of anger, sorrow and healing, was so true, I had to finish reading it. The mystery is there but the raw emotion is what made me give this book the high rating. The main characters are developed so well you feel their anguish and glad for their healing.
Thinking initially that this was a murder mystery, I was surprised. Having lost a child of my own, the frank emotion, of anger, sorrow and healing, was so true, I had to finish reading it. The mystery is there but the raw emotion is what made me give this book the high rating. The main characters are developed so well you feel their anguish and glad for their healing.
January 27, 2020
I listened to this audiobook. Whether you are religious or not, this book will touch you in so many ways: frustration, sadness, joy, happiness. I am not usually a crier either when I read, but I bawled like a baby in one particular point. It also really makes you think as to how you would react in a similar, horrific situation. I really would like to read more of Anne D LeClaire. Can’t recommend it enough!
April 27, 2017
This book started a bit slow, and I really didn't like the main character, but as the story developed he grew on me, and it picked up a lot of momentum about half way through. At this point it became a page turner and I was up late reading. I loved the spiritual themes that ran through this novel. Overall a great read!
August 11, 2017
When I chose this book from Kindle Unlimited, I thought it was going to be an action packed mystery where the father becomes sort of a detective/vigilante. It wasn't that at all, but I still enjoyed it very much.
After their daughter Lucy's disappearance and then death, Sophie and Will handle their grief very differently. Sophie was a teacher in the high school her daughter attended. She quits her job because she can't bear to be there anymore and becomes an advocate for abducted children, meeting people, giving speeches and even starting to write a book. She wants to make a difference.
Will is a painter who worked at home. He becomes angry and sullen and goes on drinking binges where he blacks out. He stops painting portraits and will now only paint still life.
Eight months after Lucy's death, Sophie has moved out and their marriage is in jeopardy. Will is commissioned to paint a series of paintings of saints for the new church. Father Gervaise comes to the house to present the offer to Will and he is immediately turned away. He doesn't give up, partly because of pressure from the Cardinal and partly because he wants to help Will. The priest's sister had been abducted in the past and he felt he failed her and does not want to fail to help someone else who needs him.
The story is a journey of the processes of grief. There were times it got a little wordy and maybe some of the scenes weren't really necessary to the story, but I felt if was an accurate portrayal of what can happen to a seemingly happy couple when they experience such a monumental loss. People can either turn to each other, or away from each other. Can they find their way back when that happens?
Will eventually agrees to do the portraits of the saints, even though he isn't religious and doesn't know much about saints. He agrees to do the work, but only if he can use the townspeople as models for the saints. Through the process of painting and spending time with each of the models, he finally starts to heal. Each of the people have a story to tell and he begins to realize that everyone has had some kind of loss in their lives. It's the one certainty in life, death.
The story is told in 1st person POV from Will, and 3rd person POV from both Father Gervaise and Lucy's best friend, Rain. Rain is also dealing with the grief of losing her best friend in a very different, destructive way. Thankfully, her mother forces her to see a therapist once a week. She initially resists going, but eventually opens up and begins to heal also.
I do feel that after meandering for quite a while, the ending was pretty rushed, but it was satisfying. We do find out the killer, justice is served and there is a little twist that I enjoyed very much. Father Gervaise does wind up fulfilling his mission, even if it isn't the way he initially intended.
After their daughter Lucy's disappearance and then death, Sophie and Will handle their grief very differently. Sophie was a teacher in the high school her daughter attended. She quits her job because she can't bear to be there anymore and becomes an advocate for abducted children, meeting people, giving speeches and even starting to write a book. She wants to make a difference.
Will is a painter who worked at home. He becomes angry and sullen and goes on drinking binges where he blacks out. He stops painting portraits and will now only paint still life.
Eight months after Lucy's death, Sophie has moved out and their marriage is in jeopardy. Will is commissioned to paint a series of paintings of saints for the new church. Father Gervaise comes to the house to present the offer to Will and he is immediately turned away. He doesn't give up, partly because of pressure from the Cardinal and partly because he wants to help Will. The priest's sister had been abducted in the past and he felt he failed her and does not want to fail to help someone else who needs him.
The story is a journey of the processes of grief. There were times it got a little wordy and maybe some of the scenes weren't really necessary to the story, but I felt if was an accurate portrayal of what can happen to a seemingly happy couple when they experience such a monumental loss. People can either turn to each other, or away from each other. Can they find their way back when that happens?
Will eventually agrees to do the portraits of the saints, even though he isn't religious and doesn't know much about saints. He agrees to do the work, but only if he can use the townspeople as models for the saints. Through the process of painting and spending time with each of the models, he finally starts to heal. Each of the people have a story to tell and he begins to realize that everyone has had some kind of loss in their lives. It's the one certainty in life, death.
The story is told in 1st person POV from Will, and 3rd person POV from both Father Gervaise and Lucy's best friend, Rain. Rain is also dealing with the grief of losing her best friend in a very different, destructive way. Thankfully, her mother forces her to see a therapist once a week. She initially resists going, but eventually opens up and begins to heal also.
I do feel that after meandering for quite a while, the ending was pretty rushed, but it was satisfying. We do find out the killer, justice is served and there is a little twist that I enjoyed very much. Father Gervaise does wind up fulfilling his mission, even if it isn't the way he initially intended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2017
I received this novel through Amazon's Kindle First. The book is mostly written in the first perspective of Will Light, a local artist whose daughter was murdered before the start of the book. The novel varies between the Light's journey out of the darkness over his daughter's death, the murdered daughter's best friend who kept their secrets, and a kind Catholic priest who decides to help Will. The title stems from the fact that Light is commissioned to paint Saints in a newly constructed cathedral a few towns over. Through the painting of the saints by using local townspeople as models, Will starts to rediscover the humanity in him and around him and starts to heal from his bitterness (probably a better summary of the novel than the misleading published blurb). The plot was obscure and the story wavered between murder-mystery and dramatic fiction. I think that the multiple-perspectives format the book was written in contributed to that. This book was more of a character/humanity study than it had any kind of actual plot. This was a book, foremost, about Will Light's anger/grief and healing from it. Even the titular "halo effect" (i.e., saint portraits) trailed far behind this character study. Overall, I felt that the religious tones (I am a non-denominational Christian) were very forced and bludgeoned its way into this book which ended up making it a struggle to finish (every other paragraph felt like it was written to be some kind of inspirational "Pinterest" style quote). It had glimpses of becoming a really good story, so I persevered but, as other reviews have stated, the last handful of chapters where the plot wound up were so fast-paced that if you blinked you missed it (and even I had to re-read the few pages where the story "ended" in order to make sure I didn't miss anything because I read too fast. Hint: I didn't miss anything, there wasn't anything said). If you're looking for religious inspiration fiction, this might be a lovely read. I was looking for a murder mystery and was mystified and disappointed.
June 24, 2017
Will, Sophia and Lucy form an enviable family unit. Will is a renowned painter, Sophie is a choral master and Lucy is all what they want from a daughter. An ordinary evening, each one returning from chores and Lucy does not return from hockey practice. A few days later her bloodied body is found. Seven months down the line, her parents shattered, they await some findings about their daughters killer.
Will seeks revenge on his own. He looks into every face in his well loved neighbourhood and thinks that one of them could well be his daughters killer. It drives him and Sophie far apart. Sophie is a Catholic with very strong faith and Will is not a believer. Being approached by Father Gervase to undertake a painting of forty three saints for the new cathedral is ironic. Will finally accepts the challenge and this is the turning point in the story. He chooses for the models people from all walks of life from within the community following in the manner of famous artists of the past.
Will and Sophie have to make their peace as well. They are broken by the grief of their daughters death, but this has driven them apart not brought them together. Will the killer be found as it is now a very cold case. An odd finding of a token loved by Lucy months after her death in a chapel, opens the investigation in another way and this will finally lead to solving the case.
Poignant, very emotional, very sad but beautifully and delicately written, this was a very beautifully told story.
Will seeks revenge on his own. He looks into every face in his well loved neighbourhood and thinks that one of them could well be his daughters killer. It drives him and Sophie far apart. Sophie is a Catholic with very strong faith and Will is not a believer. Being approached by Father Gervase to undertake a painting of forty three saints for the new cathedral is ironic. Will finally accepts the challenge and this is the turning point in the story. He chooses for the models people from all walks of life from within the community following in the manner of famous artists of the past.
Will and Sophie have to make their peace as well. They are broken by the grief of their daughters death, but this has driven them apart not brought them together. Will the killer be found as it is now a very cold case. An odd finding of a token loved by Lucy months after her death in a chapel, opens the investigation in another way and this will finally lead to solving the case.
Poignant, very emotional, very sad but beautifully and delicately written, this was a very beautifully told story.
September 13, 2017
I won this book in a giveaway and I would like to thank Lake Union Publishing for sending me a free copy.
This book tells a story of a couple who's teen daughter is taken and murdered. The mother deals with her grief by becoming an advocate for other parents in the same situation. The father, Will, wants vengeance and he is overcome with thoughts of finding the killer and killing him, which of course would change his entire life all over again. He is an artist and and is commissioned by the church to paint the saints. I found this part fascinating. He chooses everyday people to model for the saints because the saints were every day people some good some bad. It shows that people didn't "start" out as saints but still could change and become good.
It is mostly Will's story and he does drag on in the beginning but people experience grief differently so I can excuse him for not being the most likable person. It is also about Rain, who was Lucy's best friend. She is not doing well and we learn more about her when she sees a "shrink" as Rain calls her. I really liked her character.
Interesting take on grief, saints, and secrets.
This book tells a story of a couple who's teen daughter is taken and murdered. The mother deals with her grief by becoming an advocate for other parents in the same situation. The father, Will, wants vengeance and he is overcome with thoughts of finding the killer and killing him, which of course would change his entire life all over again. He is an artist and and is commissioned by the church to paint the saints. I found this part fascinating. He chooses everyday people to model for the saints because the saints were every day people some good some bad. It shows that people didn't "start" out as saints but still could change and become good.
It is mostly Will's story and he does drag on in the beginning but people experience grief differently so I can excuse him for not being the most likable person. It is also about Rain, who was Lucy's best friend. She is not doing well and we learn more about her when she sees a "shrink" as Rain calls her. I really liked her character.
Interesting take on grief, saints, and secrets.
June 14, 2023
The title had me. Who looks at the saints and gets them? St. Ignatius teaches discernment of the spirit and this story did that for me; their daughter is murdered and you've got this bishop and priest with a compelling reason to get the saints painted; then, you've got Will with a compelling reason to avoid the request. It was easy to connect with this story. Good premise, good writing. I got caught off guard once with a word; I've heard it and used back in the day, but it did not fit the reading. If the writer wanted shock, you got me. However, to go forward after I read the word wasn't easy. I told myself, if this is a climatic change and going forward it's going to be crass, I'm done. Continuing with the story did not mess me up; it went well and the flow returned.
I felt some chop with the characters in figuring out who done it. Little from the detectives and more from the characters with no investigative experience was a good take. It was a chance to live their perspective; i would have liked to have more between the relationship of the shrink and Rain.
Read it, it's a good story.
I felt some chop with the characters in figuring out who done it. Little from the detectives and more from the characters with no investigative experience was a good take. It was a chance to live their perspective; i would have liked to have more between the relationship of the shrink and Rain.
Read it, it's a good story.
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